Suspension of parental rights to be considered to tackle child abuse

Wednesday 27th May, 06:16 AM JST

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5 Comments

Disillusioned at 07:55 AM JST - 27th May

Oh, great! Don't worry about increasing family services, education, support and counseling just split the families up and turn the kids into delinquents. These twits should be more concerned about why so many children are abused, but that would actually mean more money and work, wouldn't it?
Samuraiiki at 08:04 AM JST - 27th May

That is what failed parents want, somebody to take care of their own children.
Blackops at 02:16 PM JST - 27th May

They have done this in Australia and the UK and both now have what is called BROKEN FAMILIES and the crime rate of young people have gone up. It is a DUMB move for the Japanese government to take unless they want to follow the west with a rise in anti-social behaviour and higher crime by the young people of Japan.

Quote from a UK News "With a rise in anti-social behaviour, the worst teenage pregnancies' rate in Europe and a general lack of respect for authority, the traditional family unit is no more and it all adds up to a pretty depressing picture of what is now called Broken Britain. "

This is what happens when the Government steps in they DESTROY the family unit and as you can see all you get is

1)anti-social behaviour 2)teenage pregnancies' 3)general lack of respect for authority

Australia and the UK is stuffed and now Japan wants to do the same ... JUST PLAIN STUPID!
1keiron at 06:19 PM JST - 27th May

Japan will end up just like UK if they carry on with this idea. The thought of Japanese Chavs is a comical one though
Azrael at 10:19 PM JST - 27th May

I do suppose this is an attempt to override present regulations where a social worker cannot see children reported to be suffering child abuse because the parents simply refuse to open the door, also refusing to allow police or social workers to come in contact with said child. There is no regulation apparently, strong enough to make compliance mandatory and as a consequence, children reported by teachers and/or school nurses cannot be removed from danger and may die (as several cases this year have shown, reported here on JT). As far as I understand, Japanese privacy laws allow a parent to refuse social worker's home inspections or any contact or communication with the child, making it easy to conceal abuse usually to deadly consequences. If that is the case, suspension of parental rights may be a step in the right direction here in Japan (not overseas maybe, their circumstances may be too different to make comparisons).

Japanese laws regarding abuse seem to be more like suggestions than enforceable orders, leaving social workers with toothless laws and without reliable legal instruments to work. Child abuse resulting in death is on the news on a weekly basis on Japanese news, and considering the declining birth rate I do suppose urgent and enforceable measures are in order.

As for "destroying the family unit" you cannot destroy that which is already broken. If a child is being starved, stomped on, beaten resulting in broken limbs or scalded till her skin comes off (each of the previous on separate news on last month in JT alone), removing the child to keep her alive is imperative.